Color
by Arthur M.K
Summary: In a world where people see through dull eyes, the only way to bring color to your world is to find your soulmate. Arthur Kirkland never thought his life would be more than a lifeless gray world until Alfred F. Jones came along, and the circumstances of their meeting is all but normal. (USUK fanfiction)
1. Color Has Been Found

_Color. Color is something that does not exist. It's a figment of our imaginations. The people who believe in color must be blind, for all I see is black and white._

Never have I seen any of these colors people talk about. They all say that I'll soon be able to see them, too, but I can't bring myself to believe their words. I've been told, since the day I was born, that color and beauty will come to me when I meet my true love, my soul mate, the one I'm destined to be with the rest of my life. If this is true, then why do I still see through dull eyes? Am I not meant to find my other half? Am I destined to live the rest of my life in a colorless wasteland? I just do not understand, nor will I ever.

Or at least, that's what I thought.

I was nearing my twenty-sixth birthday, and I was still as alone as I thought I'd ever be. My day consisted of getting up, working in a dull hospital building, almost as lifeless as the world around me, going home to my small flat, and going to sleep just so I could do it all over again the next day. I was content. I didn't want my life to change. Everything was just fine the way it was. I'd given up on color long ago. Everyone else I knew claimed to see everything they ever dreamed of, and all it took was the touch of someone special. The problem was, I hadn't met the one person I was destined to be with forever, and I'd come to terms with the fact that I probably never would.

* * *

"Oh, Arthur! How are you? Still as dull as ever, I presume?" that dumb frog Francis who I sadly worked with shouted.

"_That _is none of your business! Now if you'll excuse me, I have work to do. Please, feel free to not stop by," I hissed, quickly walking past the French bastard. I did _not _want to deal with him at the moment.

It was nine in the morning, and I had business to attend to. It wasn't anything new, just the usual checkups with patients. Our hospital rarely ever got new patients, and if we did, they were never dieing, not even close. A completely normal day at my completely normal job. Oh how I loved the normality of it all.

I walked down the halls to my office. Even though I was just a nurse, and a pretty important one at that, my job seemed harder and more stressful than most of the doctors'. I sat at my desk, rummaging through paperwork that needed to be signed, when I heard distressed noises coming from the lobby. I walking out of my office and towards the alarming sounds.

What I saw was not what I expected. Not in the slightest.

A young man who couldn't have been much younger than me had collapsed on the floor, a great amount of blood coming from his head.

"Someone get a stretcher!" another nurse in the room shouted. soon enough, the man was loaded onto the device and wheeled swiftly to the emergency room.

An hour had passed once the man was patched up, and I had been given permission to go inside. I slowly stepped through the door, making sure not to wake him. I had been told by one of the doctors that he was surprisingly conscious. I paused, looking him over. He definitely wasn't too young, possibly twenty or twenty-two, and had many bandages wrapped around his head, yet his eyes were still visible. His bomber jacket had been taken off and draped against a nearby chair, which I took a seat in hesitantly.

I decided to see if he'd wake up from his slumber, "Um...Hello?"

The injured man's eyes slowly blinked open and turned to acknowledge the other pair in the room.

"My name's Arthur Kirkland. What's yours?" I asked.

"...Alfred… F. Jones," the patient said slowly.

"Nice to meet you, Alfred," I held my hand out in front of him to shake. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine...I think," Alfred answered, his hand weakly rising to meet mine.

Our fingers touched, and I felt an odd feeling in my stomach. I was suddenly met by piercing eyes, but...they weren't gray. They were...blue? Was that what it was called? All of a sudden, the room burst into colors and shades I had never seen in my life. Did this mean-

"I found you," Alfred breathed, a weak smile adorned his face . I noticed he had golden blonde hair with a little cowlick refusing to stay down. "I've waited...for so long...and you're finally here."

My heart started to beat a mile a minute. I couldn't believe it. This man, this Alfred Jones, laying injured in the hospital I'd worked at for years, was the one. He made everything I saw colorful.

"You're…." I choked on my words. "You're….the one?"

The blonde nodded slowly, biting his lip, "Seems like it."

I felt a wetness on my cheeks. Was I crying? "I….I….," I stuttered.

I don't know what came over me, but at that moment, that very precious moment, I found myself hugging the man in the hospital bed. I clung for dear life, and let the tears run down as much as they pleased. Alfred hugged back just as much, his face buried in my neck.

"I can't believe it's really you…," I whispered.

"And I can't believe this is how I found you," the blonde whispered back.

Alfred F. Jones had brought to color into my life, and it was _beautiful_.


	2. Color Has Been Lost

Alfred and I talked to each other the rest of the day, right up until he slowly drifted off to slumber. After that, I made it my job to visit his room every day. A few times, I had come with flowers for him, and for that, he was grateful. I got to know him even more, yet he had lost all memory of family and friends prior to the accident. He didn't seem to mind.

"I have you, and that's all I need," he would ensure me.

I saw more and more new colors as the days went on, and I wondered how I had ever been okay with not seeing the beauty of the world before. Yet, I knew the answer to that question, and his name was Alfred. He opened my eyes and gave my life a purpose. It was as if I had been blind, and Alfred made me see. See _what _exactly? _Everything._

In a place associated with death, I was somehow brought to life.

Alfred was still in the hospital, and he wasn't doing well at all. I tried not to worry, but I just couldn't stop thinking of the 'what ifs.' What if Alfred lost even _more _of his memory? What if he didn't make it? I hated myself for asking such questions. Of course, Alfred would be fine...or at least I hoped so.

"...Alfred?" I whispered as I opened the door to his hospital room. "I brought you flowers…" I set the flowers on his bedside table and took a seat in the chair next to him.

The injured man didn't wake up. He had been asleep for quite some time, and I was starting to get worried, if it was even possible to be more worried than I already was. I hoped and prayed that Alfred wasn't in a coma. I wasn't his assigned nurse, so I had no idea if he was recovering well or if things had gotten worse. All I knew was that he wasn't dead, and that he'd been asleep for three days straight.

I got up from the chair, "Well, I guess you're not waking up today...I'll leave you alone so you can rest." I bent down and kissed his bandaged forehead.

before I could walk away, a hand suddenly grabbed my wrist. I looked down to see Alfred's hand protectively wrapped around it.

"Alfred?" I questioned. I thought he had woken up, but his eyes were still tightly shut. Oh how I wished I could see those beautiful eyes again. I missed them so much, even though it had only been a few days since I last admired them. I slowly took his hand off of my wrist and placed it at his side, leaning down to give him a soft peck on the cheek before I turned and left the room...

And I could swear I saw a small smile on his lips as I glanced back at him.

* * *

Since Alfred didn't seem to be waking up anytime soon, I decided to find out what I could about his life before the accident. I talked to other nurses and doctors, and they told me what they knew about the man. They didn't seem to know much, which was odd. He had to have a family. Maybe a brother or a sister. Possibly some friends? They must be worried about him, but why had no one showed up here looking for him? This was all very unsettling.

I was also wondering about what had happened to him that left him in such a state. His head was his biggest injury, and it was a fatal one. He possibly could've been mugged and beaten. That would explain the lack of any identification. He had stumbled into the hospital all by himself, and it looked like he had been running. Did somebody try to kill him and he was able to get away? These were the questions I just couldn't find an answer to.

Finally seeing the beauty in the world just isn't as breathtaking when the one who showed it to you isn't even awake to admire it beside you.

* * *

The next day, things just didn't feel right. The atmosphere throughout the whole building was heavy. It became hard for me to breath because of the sinking feeling I felt in my chest. Suddenly, nurses and doctors were rushing towards one single room.

"This can't be good," I thought to myself.

I began to rush toward the room they were filing into. When I read the room number on the door, I finally understood why I felt sick to my stomach.

It was Alfred's room.

The heart monitor was beeping at a very fast pace, and I could see Alfred through the window. When had he woken up? Why hadn't I noticed before? His face was one of sheer terror. He looked to be in so much pain, I just couldn't bare to see him like that. I wanted this all to end. He didn't deserve what happened to him. Why couldn't it have been me instead? This man gave me so much in so little time. Why must he be the one to suffer?

I just couldn't take it anymore. I burst through the door and ran to the edge of Alfred's bed.

"Alfred! Alfred, it's gonna be okay. Stay calm. We'll stop the pain,"

The doctors and nurses were frantically running around the room, some were checking the equipment while others examined Alfred's head and breathing patterns. They were doing everything they could to help him, and I knew Alfred was doing everything he could to hold on.

"A-Arthur," Alfred strained. His voice was weak. "Arthur? Is that you?"

"Yes! Yes, it's me! It's gonna be alright, Alfred. Just hold on a little longer, okay?" I choked out my words of reassurance. My throat was tight and I could feel tears starting to form at the corners of my eyes. "I promise you're going to be okay."

Alfred, with all his strength, took my hand in his, "I'm so glad I met you, Arthur. I'm happy that the last thing I'll see is your beautiful eyes."

A stream of tears were falling down my cheeks now, "Alfred…"

"Thank you, for bringing color into my life," Alfred's eyes fluttered to stay open, his grip on my hand loosened. "I love you, Arthur…"

His hand became limp in mine, and his eyes closed shut. The room was silent for a moment. The only sound in the room was the continuous beep of the heart monitor, a flat line showed where the beating of his heart used to be.

I sat there for a moment, Alfred's hand still wrapped in mine. I didn't make a sound. My crying had stopped, yet I felt an emptiness inside me which could never be filled again. My eyes were wide and puffy from crying, and my cheeks were red. I looked pathetic. Alfred laid there, in that hospital bed, never to move again. I...would never see those beautiful eyes ever again. Color had been given to me, only to be snatched right out from under me before I could ever even admire it's true beauty. The beauty that was Alfred Jones.

* * *

**_Two Months Later_**

I walked slowly down the path, a single rose in my hand. I never really liked graveyards. The feeling of death and despair was even more powerful than it was at my job, but here I was, walking past dozens of tombstones, looking for the one with a certain name on it.

I solemnly walked up to the grave, the name written on it was that of Alfred F. Jones. I kneeled down, one hand resting on top of the now simple, grey tombstone. My head hung low, and I fought the urge to cry.

"Hello, Alfred," I whispered. Even though there was no one around to hear me, I spoke as though I was telling someone my deepest, darkest secret.

"I miss you so much, you know that? I...brought you a rose," I said, and carefully placed the flower on the ground in front of the stone. "Although, it isn't as beautiful as it was when you were here...now it's just colorless and dull. Why did you do this to me, Alfred? Why did you have to die so soon? There was still so much I wanted to tell you, so many places I wanted to take you...I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you. I wanted to discover all the colors of the world with you by my side...but, the world doesn't work that way. We don't always get what we want. _I_ don't always get what I want. Before I met you, I was selfish and arrogant. I didn't believe in the beauty of the world for even a second, because I believed I would never see it in my lifetime, but, now I know better. You showed me how beautiful life can be, and I promise to keep on living...for you."

I leaned in and gently placed my lips on the gravestone, "I love you, Alfred. I always will."

I stood up slowly, gazing down at grave. I forced my feet to move away from it, and walked down the same path I came there on. My eyes no longer saw the green of the grass or the blue of the sky above me, but even so, I kept on walking, kept on living.

_Color. Color is something that does exist. It's beautiful, and warm, and loving. This sight, this feeling...It's called love. All you have to do is open your eyes._

* * *

**A/N: I am so sorry for not updating this sooner! I actually started on this chapter _months _ago but I got writers' block and had no clue what I was doing, but, here it is! The last chapter of _Color! _I hope you enjoyed reading it, and don't forget to leave a review!**


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